The Foreign Ministry says four Dutch journalists have been detained in Indonesia's Papua province apparently for covering a pro-independence rally.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Herbert Brinkman says a reporter for the NRC Handelsblad newspaper and three documentary makers from the VPRO television network were detained by Indonesian police but have not been arrested.

NRC Handelsblad deputy Editor Hans Steketee said Tuesday the paper's Jakarta correspondent Elske Schouten was among those detained. VPRO did not have details of its staff being held.

Steketee said the journalists were following Nicholas Jouwe, co-founder of a rebel group that is pushing for independence for the eastern province.

Jouwe returned to Papua last week after 40 years in exile.